City Love

Urban planner Justin Glanville's New to Cleveland isn't your typical guidebook. Sure, it has everything you'd expect: information about the museums of University Circle and the bars and restaurants of Ohio City and Tremont. But Glanville's book, which includes colorful, life-in-the-moment illustrations from artist Julia Kuo's 100 Days in Cleveland blog, goes beyond the typical. Glanville, who returned to Cleveland in 2005 after seven years in New York City, covers a different neighborhood in each of his book's 12 chapters, identifying whether particular areas are best suited for students, professionals, artists, empty nesters or families and including easy-to-use lists of nearby amenities. As the subtitle "A Guide to (Re)Discovering the City" suggests, it's a book about living here, whether you're a native or a newcomer. "Initially, it was really geared to newcomers," Glanville says. "I toned that down a bit because there are a lot of people who might enjoy this that already live here." Even Glanville, who said he wished a book like this existed when he moved back, discovered new sides of the city while writing it. "I didn't know a whole lot about North Collinwood before," he says. "That was just fun for me to discover."